Another Question. Is there away to organize music files.. ?

[franco]

I am an MP3 nut. I burn all my music to play on MP3 players. The question is: is there any program that will keep the file list from being in alphabetical order? I like to make playlists of 100's of songs on a single cd. And when using any particular artist multiple times in a playlist, the computer of course puts them all in alphabetical order. That makes it rough for a mp3 player to randomly make an assorted selection. If one manually types in a track number preceeding the artists name, it helps. However, it is very time consuming when doing 100's of songs. Is there a better way ?? Thanks.

[CowboySlim]

I use MusicMatch.

Slim

[franco]

I DL'ed Musicmatch 9 which was a freebee. The plus vers. is $20. and a lifetime upgrade is $40. Should one spend the money for the upgrades or will the straight vers.9 do most all ? I have been using Winamp vers.5 , and really like all the skins etc, that it offers plus the ease of tagging. Will Music match do the same? And is there a manuel available for same ? Thanks for the reply ....

[CowboySlim]

I have the "Plus" version of 8. I've haven't, and probably won't upgrade to 9. So, I'm not familiar with the free version of 9. But for burning, it should do what you want with one possible exception. You can have it make a library of all your songs and the double clicking on the songs should but them up on the playlist as if you are going to play them on your PC's speakers. You can put multiples on the list and select and drag them around to change the order. Then click on burn and the playlist will be copied down to the burn list (project). You can still add to that list, have multiples and resequence. After burning, you can save the project for future recall.

Now, for the exception: you definitely want "volume leveling" and I think that such may be only available in the non-free Plus version (that is probably why I paid for the upgrade at one time). When you are playing a CD compiled with songs from different sources or original pressed CDs, the songs all get recorded at different levels. You will find your self continually adjusting the volume control with almost every song.

Slim

[burninfool]

CowboySlim,you can also use MP3Gain to normalize.
As for MP3 playlist check HERE.

[CowboySlim]

Hey, BF, thanks. That might be better yet!

Slim

[franco]

Thanks for the reply, CowboySlim. I notice that the music in the playlist is shown with the title first, then the artist. Also, they are numbered at the beginning. I do not see a button for Random Play on Musicmatch, but with this arrangement, they are pretty much randomized. However, when I go to burn these songs, they go back to the alphebetical order of: "Artist-Title". Is there a way to burn them as they are played in the playlist?. As for the volume norm., I have been uisng MP3 Gain for a long time. I also use Acoustica http://www.acoustica.com/ to check for incompletes prior to burning. You can put 100's of songs at a time for checking. It's burning function is not too shabby either. Acoustica also has a label making prgram.

[CowboySlim]

I'll check the playlist and methodology out tonight.

Slim

[CowboySlim]

OK, Franco,

Here is the way that one is labeled in its Windows Explorer Folder:
Mel Tillis - Coca Cola Cowboy.mp3

Now after I double click it in the MusicMatch library or drag and drop from the library onto the playlist it looks like:
6 "Coca Cola Cowboy" by Mel Tillis
The playlist rearranges the artist name and song title, adds the quotes and sequence number, and replaces the dash with "by". The songs appear in the playlist in the order in which they are "clicked" and multiples are allowed.

Now after I click on the burn button (just below the playlist), it appears in the burn list as:
Coca Cola Cowboy by Mel Tillis
The burn list has eliminated the sequence numbers, quotes and duplicates, but has not resequenced them, alphabetically or otherwise. Then I can add duplicates, or other songs by selecting, dragging and dropping from either the playlist or the library. I can also resequence in the burn list by selecting, dragging and dropping with in the list.

The songs will then burn out in the order in which I have arranged them in the burn list.

There is a "Shuffle" button just below the playlist that rearranges the playlist is a somewhat random fashion. Is that what you were looking for?

Well, anyway, I can't seem to reproduce the symptoms that you report and I seem to be able to make it do that which you intend, so I guess I'm out of ideas.

Perhaps, you are working with the wrong kind of music, like hip-hop?
I suggest that you might try some cowboy music.

Slim

[franco]

Cowboy music Eh ? hee-Hee. I didn't know that there was anything else!!
BTW, thanks for all that info. I guess perhaps I am doing something wrong. I have never used Musicmatch before so will have to reprogram my brain to fit it Been using Winamp for years & Tag&Rename for editing and either Roxio 6 or RecordNow for the burns. I might have to break down and buy the Plus version, in order to get those extra burn benefits. And as for the cowboy music, it's old & new country for me !!